Black Copper Pyrorefining for Copper-Solder Phase Separation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current copper production processes from secondary feedstocks face inefficiencies due to the need for extensive furnace volume occupation by metals with high oxygen affinity, leading to limited copper recovery and increased burden in downstream solder processing.
Innovation Solution
A process involving partial oxidation and reduction steps to separate copper, tin, and lead, where copper is concentrated in the metal phase and metals with high oxygen affinity are removed in the slag, allowing for a more efficient recovery of valuable metals and reduced furnace volume occupation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If metals with high oxygen affinity are present in the furnace during copper production, then they can be removed in the slag phase, but they occupy significant furnace volume reducing copper recovery efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The process segments the feedstock treatment into distinct oxidation and reduction stages. During the oxidation stage, metals with high oxygen affinity (Fe, Al, Si, Mn) are selectively oxidized and removed in the slag phase. The reduction stage then focuses on recovering copper and solder metals. This segmentation allows efficient removal of oxygen-affine metals without让他们 occupy furnace volume during the copper recovery stage.
Solution Approach 2:
The oxidation step is performed as a preliminary action before the reduction step. By pre-oxidizing and removing metals with high oxygen affinity in the first stage, the furnace volume is cleared of these metals before the copper recovery process begins. This preliminary removal prevents these metals from interfering with subsequent copper reduction and recovery operations.
2Reliability
If extensive furnace volume is occupied by slag containing oxygen-affine metals, then separation occurs, but downstream solder processing burden increases
Solution Approach 1:
The process extracts and removes metals with high oxygen affinity (Fe, Al, Si, Mn) into the slag phase during the oxidation step. By taking these metals out of the metal phase early in the process, the burden on downstream solder processing is significantly reduced. The reduction step then operates on a cleaner feedstock with lower content of these interfering metals, simplifying subsequent separation and refining operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The oxidation and removal of oxygen-affine metals is performed as a preliminary action before the reduction and solder recovery steps. This preliminary separation reduces the complexity of downstream processing by eliminating metals that would otherwise interfere with solder metal recovery and require additional processing steps.
3Productivity
If the process uses partial oxidation and reduction steps, then copper and solder metals are concentrated efficiently, but the process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The process merges the oxidation and reduction steps into a single integrated treatment cycle. The oxidation step concentrates oxygen-affine metals in slag, while the subsequent reduction step concentrates copper and solder metals in the metal phase. By combining these steps and recycling the slag back into the process, the system achieves efficient metal concentration without requiring completely separate processing lines.
Solution Approach 2:
The process utilizes parameter changes by alternating between oxidizing conditions (first stage) and reducing conditions (second stage). During oxidation, the atmosphere and chemical environment favor formation of metal oxides that partition into slag. During reduction, conditions are changed to favor metallic form and partitioning into the metal phase. These parameter changes enable efficient separation and concentration of different metal groups.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This process enhances the recovery of copper, tin, and lead, producing a lead-tin based metal composition suitable for further processing with reduced environmental impact and increased efficiency, allowing for higher crude solder co-production and improved furnace utilization.
Implementation Method 1
partially oxidizing the black copper composition, thereby forming a first enriched copper metal phase and a first copper refining slag
Implementation Method 2
metals with high oxygen affinity are removed in the slag
Implementation Method 3
partially reducing the first copper refining slag thereby forming the first lead-tin based metal composition and a first spent slag
Data Source
AI summary
A disclosed process produces at least one concentrated copper product together with at least one crude solder product, starting from a black copper composition with at least 50% of copper together with at least 1.0% wt of tin and at least 1.0% wt of lead The process includes the step of partially oxidizing the black copper thereby forming a first copper refining slag, followed by partially reducing the first copper refining slag to form a first lead-tin based metal composition and a first spent slag. The total feed to the reducing step includes an amount of copper that is at least 1.5 times as high as the sum of the amounts of Sn plus Pb present, and the first spent slag includes at most 20% wt total of copper, tin and lead together.